Common Hall and Installation Dinner at Stationers Hall The GLASS SELLER Newsletter of The Worshipful Company of Glass Sellers of London Issue Twenty Six Winter 2010/11 D espite that, well over 100 Glass Sellers and friends, attended Common Hall to welcome the new Master, Prime Warden, Renter Warden and a new Assistant to the Court and a Lay Assistant to the Court. The Installation is one of our distinctive ceremonies and is always well attended since Glass Sellers use it to catch up with old friends and meet newcomers. An added incentive is that, to celebrate the installations, an excellent dinner always follows. The Installation Dinner is an excellent opportunity for the Company to entertain other Masters and our new Renter Warden, Guy Harrison, in his toast to ‘Our Guests’, welcomed the Masters of the Constructors, Glaziers, Barbers, Hackney Carriage Drivers and Actuaries Companies as well as a range of other guests. The Master’s own principal guest, who replied to the toast, was Mister Duncan Brand who trained as a Chartered Accountant but who spent his life, as has our new Master, in the Construction Industry. Since they have been good friends for so many years, this was an opportunity to hear about our new Master in a non-glass context. We knew about his sailing, but perhaps not that he was still competing at world class level where, it was suggested, he heads up the list of those competitors with bus passes! Most importantly, he is clearly a people- oriented person, which is a fine qualification for any Master. Tradition then indicated that last year’s Master, Richard Lawman, offered his thoughts on his year as he gave his toast to the ‘Glass Sellers Company’. Clearly he and Mistress Tricia had done an excellent job of representing us within the City. It was obvious they had been struck by the work of a number of charitable institutions they had visited to see the consequences of our Company’s assistance. This is an area where the “leverage” offered by our often modest funds can be seen to yield great benefits to individual people. One instance was the drive to fund a wheelchair for a disabled young cadet in the Rifles where the benefits will be not only to the user himself but also to the team of able bodied cadets who work with him. £5,000 has been collected so far. During his speech, the Immediate Past Master paid high tribute to the work of our Honorary Clerk, Colonel Audrey Smith. She had advised, the court, earlier in the year, that she wished to relinquish the Clerkship as soon as a suitable replacement was found and a period of induction completed. Her successor is to be Dr Trevor Robinson, following our Company’s tradition of drawing on its own membership for this post whenever possible. Finally, the new Master, Martin Scarth, within the toast ‘To Glass’, introduced us all to his plans for the Company over the next year and required those most involved in these plans to stand in turn to be recognised. After reviewing our Company’s aims and objectives, he also paid tribute to the manner in which Colonel Audrey Smith had worked to achieve them over the last eight years. Looking forward, he intends to make a u Prime Warden Vivian Bendall, The Master Martin Scarth, Renter Warden Guy Harrison, Honorary Clerk Audrey Smith Liveryman Barbara Beadman A warm welcome to the Master… T he evening of 9th December 2010 was very cold and traffic was dis rupted by student demonstrations in the streets of the City and the West End.
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Common Hall and Installation Dinner at Stationers Hall
The GLASS SELLERNewsletter of The Worshipful Company of Glass Sellers of London
Issue Twenty Six Winter 2010/11
Despite that, well over 100 Glass Sellers
and friends, attended Common Hall to
welcome the new Master, Prime Warden,
Renter Warden and a new Assistant to the
Court and a Lay Assistant to the Court.
The Installation is one of our distinctive
ceremonies and is always well attended
since Glass Sellers use it to catch up with
old friends and meet newcomers.
An added incentive is that, to celebrate
the installations, an excellent dinner
always follows.
The Installation Dinner is an excellent
opportunity for the Company to entertain
other Masters and our new Renter Warden,
Guy Harrison, in his toast to ‘Our Guests’,
welcomed the Masters of the Constructors,
Glaziers, Barbers, Hackney Carriage
Drivers and Actuaries Companies as well
as a range of other guests.
The Master’s own principal guest, who
replied to the toast, was Mister Duncan
Brand who trained as a Chartered
Accountant but who spent his life, as has our
new Master, in the Construction Industry.
Since they have been good friends for
so many years, this was an opportunity
to hear about our new Master in a
non-glass context.
We knew about his sailing, but perhaps not
that he was still competing at world class
level where, it was suggested, he heads up
the list of those competitors with bus passes!
Most importantly, he is clearly a people-
oriented person, which is a fine
qualification for any Master.
Tradition then indicated that last year’s
Master, Richard Lawman, offered his
thoughts on his year as he gave his toast to
the ‘Glass Sellers Company’.
Clearly he and Mistress Tricia had
done an excellent job of representing us
within the City. It was obvious they had
been struck by the work of a number of
charitable institutions they had visited
to see the consequences of our
Company’s assistance.
This is an area where the “leverage”
offered by our often modest funds can
be seen to yield great benefits to
individual people.
One instance was the drive to fund a
wheelchair for a disabled young cadet in
the Rifles where the benefits will be not
only to the user himself but also to the
team of able bodied cadets who work with
him. £5,000 has been collected so far.
During his speech, the Immediate Past
Master paid high tribute to the work of our
Honorary Clerk, Colonel Audrey Smith.
She had advised, the court, earlier in the
year, that she wished to relinquish the
Clerkship as soon as a suitable
replacement was found and a period of
induction completed.
Her successor is to be Dr Trevor
Robinson, following our Company’s
tradition of drawing on its own membership
for this post whenever possible.
Finally, the new Master, Martin Scarth,
within the toast ‘To Glass’, introduced us all
to his plans for the Company over the next
year and required those most involved in
these plans to stand in turn to be recognised.
After reviewing our Company’s aims
and objectives, he also paid tribute to the
manner in which Colonel Audrey Smith
had worked to achieve them over the last
eight years.
Looking forward, he intends to make au
Prime Warden Vivian Bendall, The Master Martin Scarth, Renter Warden Guy Harrison, Honorary Clerk Audrey Smith
Liveryman Barbara Beadman
A warm welcome to the Master…
The evening of 9th December 2010 was very cold and traffic was dis ruptedby student demonstrations in the streets of the City and the West End.
The Glass Seller Page 2
significant event of the March Common
Hall as part of his aim to increase the total
membership of the Glass Sellers and
ensure its continued financial health.
Details of his intended Jolly had been
announced earlier but he now gave the
first announcement about a Glass Sellers
visit to Sheffield to meet with members of
the British Glass Manufacturers
Confederation and have dinner with them
in Cutlers Hall on May 6th.
A sad feature of the evening was the
absence of the usual party of officers and
men from our affiliated submarine, HMS
Sceptre. The reason was simple – she was
to be decommissioned on the following day
and a representative group of Glass Sellers
led by the Master were to travel overnight
to Plymouth to witness the Ceremony.
Given the range of activities and
speeches, it was not surprising that matters
drew to a very late close when the Plymouth
bound party made a swift exit. Bill Cook.
We have been linked continuously
with the ‘Silent Service’ since 1982
when the submarine HMS Conqueror was
affiliated to our Company.
We were fortunate to continue the
affiliation with HMS Spartan, when
Conqueror was decommissioned, and
most recently with HMS Sceptre.
Sceptre was launched in 1976 and
commissioned in February 1978. She is
the last of the Swiftsure Class and, after 32
years service, the oldest nuclear powered
submarine in the world!
Annually since 1982, a member of the
crew, chosen for his outstanding
contribution to the crew’s morale and well
being (above and beyond his normal
duties) has been presented with a ‘Glass
Sellers’ Tankard’.
This year, that presentation did not take
place at the Installation Dinner but at Her
Majesty’s Naval Base, Devonport, at HMS
Sceptre’s Decommissioning Ceremony on
Friday 10 December 2010.
The Master Martin Scarth led a
representative group of Glass Sellers to
Devonport to witness the De commissioning
Ceremony. It was his first activity as Master,
following immediately after his installation
Dinner, with a dash to catch the 11.45 pm
sleeper train from Paddington!
Our party included The Master and the
Mistress, Immediate Past Master Richard
Lawman and Mrs Tricia Lawman, Past
Master Robin Arculus, the Honorary Clerk,
Colonel Audrey Smith, Liveryman John
Spencer and Mrs Maureen Spencer. First
success – we all caught the train! Some of us
did sleep overnight and arrived in Plymouth
at 5.00 am in reasonable condition.
The organisation worked like clockwork
and we arrived at the Devonport base as
scheduled.
Breakfast was followed by a tour of
Sceptre – and what an eye opener that was
– especially seeing the crew’s cramped
sleeping quarters and trying to envisage
living and working underwater for weeks
at a time.
Our guide, Lt Alex Miller, gave very
graphic descriptions of the work and
leisure routines adopted by the 160 or so
members of the crew. Envisaging that
number of men in a space which felt
cramped with our small party in it was
almost impossible. We covered almost
every nook and cranny (if they have those
in submarines) and we were extremely
grateful to Lt Miller for his care, attention
and detailed explanations during our tour.
Time moved on and we prepared for the
Decommissioning Ceremony.
Relatives and friends, affiliates, and
VIPs took their seats in the stand.
The band of the Scots Guards marched
on to the Parade Ground followed by
Sceptre’s crew.
The Mayor of Wigan inspected the
Officers and Crew escorted by
Commander Steve Waller, Sceptre’s
Commanding Officer.
A Service of Thanksgiving, led by the
Reverend Bernard Clarke, then followed
— the last words of each verse of the final
hymn were sung fortissimo and
reverberated around the Parade Ground.
Oh hear us when we cry to thee,
for those in peril on the sea.
There followed an address by the Guest
of Honour, the Mayor of Wigan.
The Commissioning Pennant was
lowered aboard HMS Sceptre.
The parade was dismissed and that was
our fond farewell to a gallant old lady.
After a buffet lunch in the Senior Rates
Mess, The Master was welcomed to the
stage by Commander Waller to present
the Glass Sellers’ Tankard to Petty
Officer Iain Sanderson. The citation was
peppered with phrases of praise and
respect and ends – ‘an outstanding Petty
Officer he is an exceptional role model
for more junior ratings on board and
thoroughly deserves the recommendation
for the Glass Sellers Award’.
The Master presented the award for the
last time to a member of Sceptre’s crew.
But we all hope that somewhere ‘in the
pipeline’ there is another affiliation to
follow in Sceptre’s wake. We are very
proud of our history since 1982 with the
‘Silent Service’. John Spencer.
HMS Sceptre
Commander Steve Waller with members ofSceptre’s crew
...a fond farewell to Sceptre
Liveryman Jenny Nathan The Master and Mistress Elisabeth Scarth
u
The Glass Seller Page 3
This year there was an additional, surprise
event at Common Hall.
After the new office bearers had been
sworn in, Master Martin Scarth announced
that Liveryman Edgar Mobbs had been
much taken with the process by which the
Company, after a pause of 346 years, had at
last acquired an authentic Coat of Arms.
Initiated by Past Master John Hitch during
Dr Bill Cook’s Mastership the process was
completed in past Master Robin Arculus’s
year of office.
As a result of his interest, Edgar had
commissioned a commemorative bone
china plate, illustrating the Company’s
new crest, and now gave to the Master
copies for all those involved in the task,
including the members of the project’s
Advisory Committee.
This was a most generous gesture by
Edgar who has taken a deep interest in the
written historical records of our Company
since he joined us and is now an excellent
source of factual information about the
history of the Glass Sellers Company.
Typically the choice of material for the
memento was made by Edgar knowing
...and a pleasant surprisethat our Company, in its early days, in
addition to Glass Sellers also included
“Chinamen”. Bill Cook.
The Master’s “term” started surprisingly
on 8 December 2009 two days before
my installation, when I attended lunch as a
guest of the Spectacle Makers. Since my
installation I have attended about 70 events
during the year, excluding committee
meetings and the like. I have attended
functions in a wide range of Livery Halls
all of which have been superb, it is lovely
to go to so many that are not on our circuit.
In addition, Tricia and I have particularly
enjoyed our visits to support our Charity
Fund, in particular two of our Glass in
Society Projects of which further news is in
this edition of the Glass Seller. We found it
thrilling to see the enthusiasm, not only of the
students at the schools but also the teachers,
it really makes it feel worthwhile being a
Glass Seller to see how you can help these
young people to see a more practical part of
the curriculum and all in their spare time.
Sticking to the schools element, the
Master and Mistress along with the Clerk
visited four schools at or around Speech
Day; we were entertained by music and
theatrical events, speeches and yes lunches.
These are schools where we provide
bursaries and student prizes, again greatly
appreciated by the schools concerned.
On the glass front, besides the
Ravenscroft Lecture we were privileged to
judge the Glass Sellers prize at the Guild of
Glass Engraving at the Fitzwilliam Museum
in Cambridge. We saw some beautiful
pieces of engraved glass from amongst the
greatest living artists in this country.
I have not mentioned the trip to
Liverpool which was also well reported in
the last edition, all we can say is that we
were privileged to have such a superb
turnout from the Livery and blessed not
only by brilliant weather, but also the
presence of our Chaplain.
Besides trips to Pilkington,
Kingswinford School and the
Fitzwilliam Museum, we awarded the
prizes on the Isle of Wight and at the
Biennial. It was marvellous to have prize
winner Shelley Doolan along for the
Mansion House Dinner. We also visited
Nazeing Glass Factory to meet Assistant
to the Court Stephen Pollock-Hill who
provided the glass gift given to the ladies
at the Banquet.
The Livery clearly has strong ties with
the City and it was a privilege to be
involved with the election of the Sheriffs
and the Lord Mayor. We also went to the
Silent Ceremony where the new Lord
Mayor is installed. After the ceremony in
Guildhall during which it poured with
rain, we had a little cameo event, on our
way to the station we met the immediate
past Lord Mayor and his wife walking
back to Mansion House under an
umbrella, gone was the Rolls Royce! The
following day we were joined by our
children and grandchildren at the Lord
Mayor’s Parade which ended with a
superb firework display.
It is not possible to list every event we
took part in; however, we finished with the
fantastic trip to Devonport to de-
commission Sceptre, also reported on in
this issue. It was a fitting end to our year.
It was a great privilege to serve as Master
and Mistress, and we hope that there is a
small “gene” of Lawman carried forward
into the future of the Glass Sellers. Tricia
and I would, therefore, thank you all for
your terrific support during our year.
Richard Lawman
A report from Immediate Past Master
Richard Lawman
Master Richard Lawman and Mistress Tricia Lawman during their year of office
Liveryman Edgar Mobbs presenting the Crest Platesto The Master
TO PURCHASE A PLATEThis excellent commemorative plate may be purchased for £50, of which Edgar
will donate £20 to the Glass Sellers Charity. The price includes packing and delivery.
Cheques should be made payable to E R Mobbs and sent to Newnham Fields,
Newnham, Northants NN11 3ET. Please include your delivery address. Buy a
plate, get a very artistic memento and benefit our charity. You couldn’t do better!
The Glass Seller Page 4
The United Kingdom’s majorexhibition of contemporary glass
The opening night of the fourth British
Glass Biennial played host to the
elite of the glass world from the UK
and overseas, who came to see the
UK’s premier exhibition of glass.
The glittering Private View and
Awards Ceremony evening saw six
prizes totalling £11,500 being
announced in front of an estimated
audience of 600.
The Glass Sellers’ Company was
delighted to be involved with this
prestigious event once again. On
this occasion we were very proud
to be one of the main sponsors of
the exhibition. By joining forces
with the Biennial we have been
able to reach a much wider
audience and a greater pool of
talent from which to draw the
winners of our Art and Craft
Awards.
The Art and Crafts Awards
were initiated by the Glass
Sellers’ Company over 25 years ago as an
annual event. However, since 2008 the
company has worked in association with
the British Glass Biennial and combined
our award with this prestigious,
international event.
There are two Arts and Crafts awards
which are now given biennially for an art
piece made essentially from glass: a main
award of £5,000 and a student award of
£1,000. Two runners-up prizes of £1000
and £500 respectively are also awarded.
The main award is open to graduate and
professional studio glass Artists resident in
the UK. The student award is open only
to glass art students presently at
college or within three years of
graduating
This year 82 artists were
selected from the 202 who
entered the competition. The pieces
were all of a very high standard with
the finest in glassmaking talent
being represented in the
exhibition.
The prizes were awarded at
the opening night of the
Biennial on 26 August, held at
the Ruskin Glass Centre in
Stourbridge. The private view
was a memorable occasion
and well attended by Glass
Sellers. The Company also
had a stand at the exhibition to
raise awareness of the Livery
and the work of our Charity.
The Glass Sellers
prizes were awarded
to four extremely talented artists:
The Glass Sellers Award of
£5000 – Shelley Doolan for
‘Iteration 456’
Runner up prize of £1000 –
Jeffrey Sarmiento for
‘Ossify’.
Student Award of £1000 –
Lisa Sheppy for
‘Charlotte’s Dress’
Runner up prize
of £500 –
Margareth Troli for
‘007 Walter P99’.
Chair of the Glass Sellers jury and
Chairman of the Charity Fund, Professor
John Whiteman said; “There is a warmth
and undulating calm in Shelley Doolan’s
work. Despite its serenity however, it is a
dynamic piece - constantly changing with
the light and its different surfaces.”
He continues… “Lisa Sheppy’s winning
piece is of an incredibly high standard for
the student award; it is well thought out
and technically very strong whilst telling a
great story with humour and personality.”
Other prize winners at the Biennial were:
Gaea Todd won the British Glass
Biennial Award for ‘Best in Show’ with
‘Reverberations’.
Tim Boswell received the Art in Action
Award for Contemporary Glass £1,000 for
‘Afrika 1 Timbukone’. This award was
introduced for the first time in 2010 and is
a collaboration between the International
Festival of Glass and Art in Action.
The Biennial was open to the public
from 27 August to 11 September giving
the artists an excellent opportunity to
raise awareness of their work. It is a
selling show with 115 pieces of
work ranging from small scale to
large installations and prices from
£85 – £11,000 on sale to collectors
and buyers.
The Charity Trustees are very
pleased to be able to report that the
event was a great success. It is
clear that our prizes have a
significant impact on the artists
who win. We very much
hope to be able to continue
our association with the
Biennial in years to come.
Maria Chanmugam
The British Glass Biennial and the Glass Sellers Art and Craft Awards 2010
The Master with Shelley Doolan and Margareth Troli
Shelley Doolan with her winning entry Iteration 456
Photograph by Simon Bruntnell
Margareth Troli – 007 Walter P99
Lisa Sheppy –Charlotte’s Dress
Photograph by Simon Bruntnell
The Glass Seller Page 5
The following are interviews with the
winner and runner up of the main
award. It is clear that they value the support
of the Glass Sellers’ Company and believe
that our award will have a positive impact
on their careers. Their enthusiasm and
commitment to their work was evident and
as Trustees it is wonderful to be able support
such talented and enthusiastic people.
Shelley Doolan – Winner, GlassSellers Award for ‘Iteration 456’What is the impact of having your
work selected for the 2010 Biennial? Do
you believe that it makes your work more
saleable?
Being selected for the British Glass
Biennial 2010 and winning the Glass Sellers
Prize has certainly raised my profile. I sold
a piece of glass in a gallery in the States
during the Biennial period, which may have
been a coincidence, but may have been
helped by my ‘award winning’ status!
Do you think that winning the Glass
Sellers Prize will have an impact on your
career? If so how?
Yes it has. I have been invited to teach
a master class in July 2011 in the States.
Has the prize money been useful?
What will you use it for? Is it allocated
to a specific project or use?
I have had a few enquiries for larger-
scale projects, and if these proceed, I
will find the Glass Sellers Prize money
an invaluable way to fund the early
stages of any commission. The prize
money will otherwise be spent on
developing a new body of work and
helping with my living costs in the
meantime.
Anything else you think is relevant?
After the seemingly endless work
involved in designing and making the
work, it is gratifying and encouraging to
get such positive feedback.
To see more examples of Shelley’s
work go to:
www.shelleydoolanglass.com
Jeffrey Sarmiento – Runner up,Glass Sellers Award for
‘Ossify’What is the impact of having
your work selected for the 2010
Biennial? Do you believe that it
makes your work more saleable?
It’s been an honour to be selected
for the British Glass Biennial. I have
been living in Northeast England for
about four years now, but have
rarely had the chance to show in
the UK. Much of the work I’ve
made is made and finished in the
National Glass Centre in
Sunderland, but gets crated almost
immediately and sent off to shows
elsewhere.
As a research fellow at the University of
Sunderland, I am looking more to
experiment, and less toward making
editions or large amounts of work. In
some ways, the Biennial might help make
my work more saleable, though the works
on show at this venue are technically
tricky and time consuming. They might
become more saleable, but not
necessarily profitable.
Do you think that being selected
runner-up for the Glass Sellers Prize
will have an impact on your career? If
so how?
I’ve definitely gained more visibility in
the UK and Europe as a result of winning
the prize, and it is definitely great to get
recognized for the effort I’ve put into
developing my work for the past few years.
I’m hoping to stay in the UK in the long
term, so it is important to have interested
collectors and institutions that can support
my career. My most recent projects have
been with museums in Sunderland and
Liverpool, so it would be great to keep
moving in this direction.
Has the prize money been useful?
What will you use it for? Is it allocated
to a specific project or use?
Some of the prize money has gone
toward the next crate of ‘Bullseye’
Glass and the rest will be used to
fund research for my next exhibition.
I’m gearing up for a major solo show
in 2012 that I plan to show in the UK
and elsewhere in Europe.
To see more examples
of Jeffrey’s work go to
jeffreysarmiento.co.uk
Maria Chanmugam
Shelley Doolan – Iteration 456
Jeffrey SarmientoOssify
Winning the Glass Sellers Award does it make a difference?
Following the successful launch of the
Glass in Society Scheme in the West
Midlands in 2010, the Charity Fund has
been keen to extend the scheme to a larger
number of schools. There is no doubt that
Glass in Society Schemes and the projects
in them provide immense benefits to the
young people involved.
In the summer 2010 issue of the Glass
Seller we advised that the Trustees proposed
Glass in Society Scheme 2011 an update on progress
Acknowledgements: March 2011. The Glass Seller would like to thank those who have contributed articles to this issue. Photographs supplied by: GeraldSharp Photography, Past Master Bill Cook, Liveryman Trevor Robinson, Liveryman John Spencer. Our thanks to the Honorary Clerk whose active supportmakes possible the production and distribution of this newsletter. Newsletter design and artwork is by Andrew Jones. Printed by Crossprint on the Isle of Wight.